Mystery One; One Chick’s Story What is a bookstore? Well that depends upon whom you are. The very first time I became aware of Mystery One was at the 1999 Bouchercon where Richard Katz was the host dealer. I met a boy at that convention. I do not say this trying to make myself seem younger but rather because Richard and Jon together will always be boys. Enthusiastic about all of the same things, excited for the next thing to happen, their friendship is the stuff of legend. There’s no doubt that Mystery One is as much my “Milwaukee home” as the Castle because I was comfortable there first. Yes my first date with himself was at Mystery One...

THE GOVERNOR’S WIFE Michael Harvey 2015 Knopf Michael Harvey’s Michael Kelly series has become a favorite and his newest cement’s the deal for me. It’s been two years since Governor Ray Perry disappeared after his sentencing hearing. When Kelly gets an anonymous call followed by a large but anonymous check asking him to find out what happened to the former Governor he begins to dig beyond the stale and all too familiar Chi-Town headlines and delve into a case that cannot be what it seems. At the center of the case is Marie Perry, the Governor’s wife. Was she a co-conspirator in his escape or a party to his murder? Kelly’s certain there’s...

Originally published in issue 3. FOOTPRINTS: The Secret of Father Brown by Ruth Jordan One of the true joys of my young reading life was the day I graduated from the Encyclopedia Brown stories to those of G.K. Chesterton. There is magic in a young reader’s heart and to this day I remember the wonder I felt when my Grandmother Flannery deemed me to be mature enough for the world of Father Brown and Flambeau. G.K. Chesterton was a renaissance man caught up in the beginnings of the industrial age. Born in 1874 in the city of London, Chesterton was a gifted scribe and a great thinker. An influence within not only the world of mystery, but also...

This is an excerpt from Crimespree 54’s cover story with Lawrence Block. The issue is out now. Ruth Jordan : What made you come back to Bernie? Lawrence Block: I’d always hoped to. I’ve always enjoyed writing in his voice and seeing the world through his eyes. But wanting to isn’t enough to make it happen. I’m spoiled, and have been for some time; i.e., I can’t write something unless it’s working for me. And the several attempts I made at an eleventh Burglar book just didn’t work. Even when the scenes and dialogue worked, the book just didn’t go anywhere. I had far too many false...